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coronavirus updates




Idaho expands Crisis Standards of Care statewide due to surge in COVID-19 patients requiring hospitalization

September 16, 2021

The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare (DHW) has activated Crisis Standards of Care (CSC) in accordance with IDAPA 16.02.09 – Crisis Standards of Care For Healthcare Entities. CSC is activated statewide because the massive increase of COVID-19 patients requiring hospitalization in all areas of the state has exhausted existing resources. CSC was activated on Sept. 6 in North Idaho. This activation, declared today, expands the declaration to the rest of the state.

This action was taken after St. Luke’s Health System requested that CSC be activated. DHW Director Dave Jeppesen convened the CSC Activation Advisory Committee virtually on Sept. 15. The committee recommended that CSC be activated statewide.

“Our hospitals and healthcare systems need our help. The best way to end crisis standards of care is for more people to get vaccinated. It dramatically reduces your chances of having to go to the hospital if you do get sick from COVID-19. In addition, please wear a mask indoors in public and outdoors when it’s crowded to help slow the spread” said DHW Director Jeppesen. “The situation is dire – we don’t have enough resources to adequately treat the patients in our hospitals, whether you are there for COVID-19 or a heart attack or because of a car accident.”

Although DHW has activated CSC, hospitals will implement as needed and according to their own CSC policies. However, not all hospitals will move to that standard of care. If they are managing under their current circumstances, they can continue to do so.

Crisis standards of care are guidelines that help healthcare providers and systems decide how to deliver the best care possible under the extraordinary circumstances of an overwhelming disaster or public health emergency. The guidelines may be used when there are not enough healthcare resources to provide the usual standard of care to people who need it. The goal of crisis standards of care is to extend care to as many patients as possible and save as many lives as possible.

When crisis standards of care are in effect, people who need medical care may get care that is different from what they expect. For example, patients admitted to the hospital may find that hospital beds are not available or are in repurposed rooms (such as a conference room) or that needed equipment is not available. They may have to wait for a bed to open, or be moved to another hospital in or out of state that has the resources they need. Or they might not be prioritized for the limited resources that are available. In other words, someone who is otherwise healthy and would recover more rapidly may get treated or have access to a ventilator before someone who is not likely to recover.

The process to initiate crisis standards of care began when resources were limited to the point of affecting medical care. DHW Director Jeppesen convened the Crisis Standards of Care Activation Advisory Committee on Sept. 15, 2021, to review all the measures that were taken to provide care for the increased number of COVID-19 patients requiring hospitalization. The committee determined that the ability of all Idaho hospitals and healthcare systems to deliver the usual standard of care has been severely affected by the extraordinary influx of patients, and all contingency measures have been exhausted. The committee recommended to the director that crisis standards of care be activated statewide. Director Jeppesen issued his decision on Sept. 16, 2021, under the authority vested in him through the temporary rule.

Efforts will continue with earnest to alleviate the resource constraints in the state caused by the massive increase in the number of COVID-19 patients needing hospitalization. The crisis standards of care will remain in effect until there are sufficient resources to provide the usual standard of care to all patients.

Learn more about crisis standards of care and see an FAQ at https://coronavirus.idaho.gov/idaho-resources/

The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare is dedicated to strengthening the health, safety, and independence of Idahoans. Learn more at healthandwelfare.idaho.gov. 

Contact:  Niki Forbing-Orr

Public Information Manager

208-334-0668



IDAHO VACCINE CONFIDENCE

April 14, 2021



SCHEDULE YOUR VACCINE APPOINTMENT

April 12, 2021

Vaccine Appointments Available

April 12, 2021 — Minidoka Memorial is now offering COVID-19 vaccinations for people 16 and over.

The vaccinations are free of charge, by appointment only. To schedule a COVID-19 vaccination appointment —

Call: 208.434.8415

Or call:  208.436.0481 ext 5132


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COVID-19 Testing at Minidoka Memorial Hospital - Update

October 4, 2021

Vaccine Appointments Available

Effective Monday October 4th, 2021, all COVID-19 antigen testing will be $40.00 per person.

Payment is due at the time of testing. Cash debit or credit card only.

COVID-19 testing is available Monday through Friday from 9:00 am to 2:30 pm at the Laboratory Resource Center located directly across from the ER entrance.

Call: 208.436.0481

Location: 1224 8th St. Rupert


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SIGN UP NOW FOR YOUR COVID-19 VACCINE

March 8, 2021

Idaho's Official COVID-19 Resource Site: Pre-Register for Your Vaccine Now

Children ages 12-15 now eligible receive Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine: More Information


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ADDITIONAL COVID-19 VACCINE RESOURCES

February 1, 2021

The following resource pages are subject to change.
Please check these pages often in order to access the most up to date information regarding vaccinations in the state of Idaho.

Idaho Department of Health & Welfare: "When and Where to Get Your Vaccination."

South Central Public Health: "When Can I Get a Vaccine?" 

Where to Get a Vaccine: An Interactive Map Tool of Magic Valley Providers

This survey is designed to find out why or why not people have received the COVID-19 vaccine. Answers are anonymous and will aid the health district in future planning efforts. Take Survey


WHEN CAN YOU GET A COVID-19 VACCINE?

January 28, 2021

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Download the full PDF

IDAHO DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND WELFARE -- COVID-19 INFORMATION

January 26, 2021

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COVID-19 Facts from Fiction
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COVID-19 hechos y ficciones

THE IMPORTANCE OF WEARING A MASK

October 29, 2020

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NEWS RELEASE -- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 13, 2020

Contact: Brianna Bodily, SCPHD Public Information Officer, (208) 737-5985

Community spread of COVID-19 detected in Minidoka County SOUTH CENTRAL IDAHO – The South Central Public Health District (SCPHD) has released COVID-19 community risk assessments for each county in the south central Idaho region. These assessments are based on the Regional Risk Level Plan the SCPHD Board of Health approved on August 5th, 2020.

Two counties, Blaine and Camas, are in the minimal-risk category. Four counties, Gooding, Jerome, Lincoln, and Twin Falls, are in the moderate-risk category. Two counties, Cassia and Minidoka, are in the high-risk category. No counties are currently rated in the critical-risk category. Risk category definitions, recommended mitigation strategies, and basic metric information for each county is available at https://phd5.idaho.gov/coronavirus. These risk assessments will be updated every other Thursday unless emergency conditions, laid out in the Regional Risk Level Plan, require a mid-stage update.

No matter the risk category, public health officials urge all residents to take extra precautions to slow the spread of COVID-19. This includes practicing social distancing at all times, wearing a mask in public places, washing hands frequently, sanitizing commonly touched surfaces regularly, and isolating immediately if you begin showing symptoms of any virus.

South Central Public Health District is running two COVID-19 informational hotlines, one in English at (208) 737-1138, and one in Spanish, at (208) 737-5965. These hotlines are currently running from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Please refer to https://phd5.idaho.gov/coronavirus for the latest local numbers and  https://coronavirus.idaho.gov/ for Idaho-specific information.


NEWS RELEASE -- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 15, 2020

Contact: Brianna Bodily, SCPHD Public Information Officer, (208) 737-5985

Community spread of COVID-19 detected in Minidoka County MINIDOKA COUNTY – South Central Public Health District (SCPHD) has confirmed at least one case of novel coronavirus with no out-of-state travel and no identified contact with another person with confirmed COVID-19.

Community spread means at least one person has been infected with the virus and investigation is not able to determine how or where they became infected. The individual under investigation did not travel and had no identified contact with another person with COVID-19. Public Health officials expect more confirmed cases in Minidoka County and urge all residents to assume the virus could be anywhere in the community and surrounding counties.

“Even as the state works toward reopening, we are still seeing new cases in almost all of our counties,” said Logan Hudson, SCPHD Public Health Division Administrator. “This is a good reminder that the virus is still very active and we all need to do our part to protect our communities. If an area is too crowded—leave. Wear a mask when you are out in public and around other people. Continue to take precautions so you don’t have to be the next person we are calling on the phone asking to stay indoors for the next two weeks.”

South Central Public Health District is running two hotlines for information about COVID-19. One in English at (208) 737-1138, and one in Spanish, at (208) 737-5965. These hotlines are currently running from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Please refer to https://phd5.idaho.gov/coronavirus for the latest local numbers and https://coronavirus.idaho.gov/ for Idaho-specific information and guidance.


NEWS RELEASE -- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 6, 2020


As we go into another week of home isolation, many people are not able to go to work and even see their own family members, we urge you to hang in there and remember that hospitals staff and first responders are working every day to get through this pandemic and want nothing more than things to return to some kind of normalcy.

With that said, there are a few things to keep in mind in regards to COVID-19 testing please:

  1. MMH can test you for the Covid-19 virus, we have collection kits in stock but it requires an evaluation and physicians order to be tested. If you do not have a family physician and feel like you need to be tested please call the Minidoka Medical Center at 208-436-4322 and request to be seen or you can be seen and tested through our emergency department if you need to be.
  2. The turnaround time for test results to come back varies on average of approx 48-72 hours. This is the normal time whether its State or personal lab.
  3. Covid-19 testing has to be done through a CLIA Certified lab in order to get accurate results. At this time there are no in-home testing kits and there are no qualified companies that provide on-site testing for employees.

Our mission is to provide the best healthcare and education to our community and even in this time of the unknown, we strive to provide the best care to you our staff, patients, families, and community members.



NEWS RELEASE -- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 2, 2020


As you probably already know COVID-19 is starting to show up in our community as well as communities in our surrounding area.  Minidoka Memorial Hospital as well as other health care facilities across the nation are all stepping up and making every effort to care for these patients as they come to our facility. There will be times that it is necessary for our facility to transfer critical COVID-19 patients to larger facilities for higher levels of care.  Those receiving facilities are going to experience incredibly high volumes and we intend to help alleviate as much of the capacity challenge as we can.  What this means for our community hospital, is that not only will we care for these patients as they present to our emergency department but we will also be receiving transfers from larger facilities of COVID-19 patients that are recovering, but need a few more days of inpatient or Swing Bed care before returning home.  We anticipate we will begin receiving patients sooner rather than later.

As we do with any patient we care for at MMH, our staff is reminded that patient confidentiality still applies during this pandemic so as always we will continue to respect the privacy of our patients and keep the care we deliver here confidential.  This means not sharing details about the care of any of our patients with family members or the public.

We are fortunate that our Emergency Operations Committee at MMH has had some extra time to prepare for the arrival of these patients.  We are taking the necessary precautions to isolate COVID-19 patients and to protect the staff caring for them.  It is important that we continue to practice our own safety precautions and social distancing to protect our health and to take good care of ourselves and our families.  Our Trustees and Administration have a deep concern for all of our staff and take the safety of every employee as well as community members that walk through our doors seriously.

We are asking all staff as well as visitors to please respect the isolation boundaries that are being installed, these are for the safety of the patients and staff.  We truly believe we have the best employees working at MMH that come to work every day in order to provide the best healthcare for our community; they are depending on us to care for them and to protect them during this pandemic.  

We are aware of the stay at home isolation order passed down from the Governor’s office and encourage you to follow that as much as possible, with that said, we would like to make sure that everyone is aware, we are still here to care for your healthcare needs. It’s important that you realize if you or a loved one is not well and needs to seek medical care, please don’t wait at home until it’s too late. Our staff is here every day to continue to provide health care to patients that need it now rather than waiting. One of the best ways we can serve our patients and community is to provide preventative care in order to help keep you as healthy and possible. Our patient’s health is and will always be our number one priority.

If you need to see a physician in one of our doctor’s office and would prefer, our Minidoka Medical Center now provides TeleMedicine. Our doctors are excited to provide these expanded services to the community we love! Some visits still need an in person physical exam but a lot can be done via video conferencing. Also, for those with suspected COVID 19 or for those at risk of complications (the elderly or those with lung conditions), we are also willing to come to your car for a curbside visit. Please call ahead! 208-436-4322 or your nurse's direct line. This is just one more services we are proud to offer our community.



GUIDANCE FOR GOVERNOR BRAD LITTLE'S AMENDED STATEWIDE STAY-HOME ORDER

Order Updated On April 15, 2020 | Effective Through April 30, 2020




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